biomes and the biosphere

• what is a biome?

  A global-scale ecosystem
• what is a biosphere?

  the living layer of the earth between the lithosphere and atmosphere
• what is an ecosystem?

  A unit of area made up of living things and a non-living environment
• what are the characteristics of an ecosystem?

  biotic and abiotic factors
• what are the local factors affecting biome location?

  altitude

  rock and soil type

  water availability and drainage

  proximity to sea

  human influence
• what are the global factors affecting biome location

  latitude- determines the temperature

  sunshine hours and pressure belts determine precipitation
• what is the Hadley cell?

  • near the equator
  • warm air rises, moves away, cools down and sinks back around 30 degrees north and south
  • it creates hot deserts
• what is the ferrel cell?

  • between polar and Hadley cells
  • move air towards the poles and equator, it mixes warm and cool air
• what is the polar cell?

  • near the poles
  • cold air sinks, moves towards the equator, warms up, rises, and then flows back to the poles
  • work together to move air around the earth and make climate patterns
• what are the three cells?

  Hadley, Ferrel, and polar cells are like big loops of moving air. They create different climate zones and are important for our weather.
• what are rainforests actually like?

  • high biodiversity and biodiversity hotspots
  • complex and large food web- four layers of consumers
  • large gene pool- new plants and medicines
• where are rainforests located?

  • particular parts of the world- strong sun energy, high amount of rain
  • close to the equator- no temperature seasons, gain the strongest amount of sun
  • seasonal, 27-30 degrees heat, 3000-4000 millimetres or rain
• what are the structures and adaptations of the rainforest?

  • shrub layer (10m), tree canopy (20m), understory, main canopy (40m), top canopy (50m)
  • drip tips on leaves minimise water and reduce the decay of plants
  • buttress roots- provide additional stability for the trees
  • lianas- sends shoots, claws and suckers to latch on trees gathering nutrients and light